The disclosures herein relate generally to communication systems and more particularly to wireless communication apparatus in a computer. A variety of communication devices may be used in a computer. A conventional modem may be used to communicate data over a conventional telephone line. A network interface controller (NIC) card is used to provide data transmission over a computer network. Various types of radio frequency communication devices may be used in a computer for communication with a variety of types of networks such as a personal area network or a local area network.
Wireless communication is becoming a desired capability for portable and desktop computers. However, various aspects of a computer, particularly a portable computer, complicate the task of providing a wireless communication system in a computer. The addition of wireless communication capability in portable computers presents a variety of physical and functional design challenges. Some of these complications are also applicable to desktop computers.
The physical size of portable computers limits the space available for various components of a wireless communication interface. Expansion slots may be used for various communication devices. However, the number of available expansion card slots is limited. For example, in many portable computers, two PCMCIA expansion card slots are provided and one or both of the slots can be used to provide wireless communication capability. However, if PCMCIA cards are being used for providing two types of wireless communication capability (i.e. a wireless local area network PCMCIA card and a wireless personal area network PCMCIA card), both PCMCIA slots are occupied, precluding the use of other expansion card enabled functionality.
A wireless communication device for a computer typically includes a radio portion, a user interface portion, and an antenna portion. Depending on the particular configuration of the portable computer, the various portions of the wireless communication device may be mounted internally, externally or both internally and externally relative to the enclosure of the computer. Further, the various portions and components of the wireless communication device may be integral or discrete with respect to each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,828,341 discloses a portable computing device having a computer programmed to store and communicate information and a housing configured to house the computer. A communications device, provided in the housing, is controlled by the computer and configured to communicate information between the computing device and a remote computer. An antenna is carried by the housing and is configurable to electrically couple with the communications device for communicating radio frequency information with the remote computer. A signal coupling device is carried by the housing and is configured to removably mate in signal transmitting relationship with an external antenna via a complementary mating signal coupling device. A switch provided with the device is constructed and arranged to selectively connect the communications device with a dedicated antenna and an external antenna.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,594 discloses a telephone accessory and method of telecommunicating for a personal digital accessory (“PDA”). The PDA includes a chassis of particular dimensions and input/output (“I/O”) circuitry on a front surface of the chassis. The chassis contains processing circuitry coupled to the I/O circuitry.
The telephone accessory includes a body portion having a concave surface adapted to receive the chassis. A first body extension and a second body extension are coupled to opposite ends of the body portion. Communications circuitry capable of being coupled to the processing circuitry in the chassis when the chassis is received into the concave surface on the body portion is provided. The communications circuitry includes a communications transceiver capable of coupling the processing circuitry to remote processing circuitry via a communications link.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,373,149 discloses a PCMCIA wireless credit card modem fabricated for using two credit card sized sections interconnected by a hinge. The first section contains modem circuitry and the second section contains an antenna and radio circuitry. The two sections form a 90 degree angle in the open position. The section with the modem circuitry fits into a type I or II PCMCIA slot in a portable computer. The section with the antenna remains on an outside portion of the computer. The folding electronic card assembly can interface to several different PCMCIA card slots.
A key challenge in providing wireless communication capability in a computer, particularly in a portable computer, is the physical mounting or interconnecting of the various components of the communication device. Portable computers produced by the same manufacturer, as well as by different manufacturers, are not identical. In addition, it is preferred for computers to be designed for permitting wireless capability to be enabled subsequent to the manufacture of the computer, such as by the user following purchase of the computer. Consequently, conventional techniques for providing wireless communication capability require numerous configurations of wireless communication devices, or at least components thereof, to accommodate the various types of portable computers and situations under which wireless communication capability is provided.
Another key challenge in providing wireless communication capability in a computer, particularly in a portable computer, is enabling a modular and dynamic design solution such that wireless communication devices of various configurations (i.e. designed according to different radio specifications) can be cost-effectively and conveniently implemented in a manufacturing setting as well as by the user subsequent to the manufacture of the computer.
A number of different industry standards for radio specifications exist. These radio specifications include, for example, the specification of Bluetooth Special Interest Group, referred to by the tradname Bluetooth, or the specification of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Incorporated, referred to as 802.11. In addition to the industry standards for radio specifications, a number of design criteria mandated by various regulatory agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration, also exist. Conventional techniques for providing wireless communication capability are limited in the number of different industry standards that are compatible. Furthermore, these conventional techniques do not provide a suitable solution for complying with certain regulatory agency and industry standard mandated design criteria.
Therefore, what is needed is a wireless communication system that provides a generally universal packaging solution across a wide range of physical computer designs and that permits interconnect compatibility with a plurality of different input signals.